Project descriptionThe administrative structures, systems and procedures through which government agencies deliver public services frequently do not correspond with the expectations, capacities and behaviors of citizens. This limits access to and uptake of the public services on which many citizens depend, resulting in growing distance to the government and a diminishing trust in the wider democratic political system. Through a range of design interventions, government agencies attempt to better calibrate their bureaucratic systems of public service delivery to the circumstances of individual citizens. Despite such efforts, citizens frequently remain entangled in bureaucratic procedures and administrative burdens during their interactions with the state.
This project aspires to contribute to public administration research and practice through analysis of the relationships between bureaucratic systems and behavior in the context of public service delivery. The point of departure for the project is the recognition that the design of bureaucratic systems may both enable and constrain the behavior of citizens as well as public professionals, and that effective and responsive public service delivery is dependent on the behaviors of both these actors. By linking the external world of citizen experiences with public service delivery to the internal world of public management and organizational behavior, this project seeks to advance theoretical, empirical and practical understanding of the interrelations between bureaucratic design and behavior in the delivery of public services.
The project’s aims and scope will be specified in the first year giving the PhD fellow the opportunity to specialize in relevant research areas and approaches within the overarching theme of bureaucracy and behavior in public service delivery. The project is open to an internationally comparative approach and a variety of research methodologies.
Tasks and responsibilitiesOver a period of six years, the PhD fellow is expected
- To design and implement scientific research on bureaucracy and behavior in the context of public service delivery (approximately 50% of the appointment). The research may rely on a variety of qualitative, quantitative and/or experimental methodological approaches.
- To contribute to the teaching programs of the Institute of Public Administration (approximately 40% of the appointment), with the opportunity to obtain the Basic Teaching Qualification (BKO). As the position comprises a combination of research and teaching, the PhD Fellow is encouraged to disseminate research insights through contributions to the teaching programs and development of educational materials.
- To disseminate research findings by publishing scientific articles in international peer-reviewed journals and presenting research at academic conferences.
- To communicate scientific findings to evidence for practice, for instance through publications in practitioner-oriented journals or websites, the development of trainings and/or interventions for practice, and participation in practice-oriented debates about public management and decision-making.
- To take part in relevant disciplinary and/or research methods courses, based on an individual training and supervision plan (approximately 10% of the appointment).